


and twice as warm

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Backstory, F/F, Isolation, Lissa/Maribelle A Support compliant, Loneliness, Not Alone Anymore, Pre-Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 16:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2032419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surely a princess knew better than to play with a spoiled brat. Lucky for Maribelle, Lissa's no ordinary princess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and twice as warm

"Look at her," someone whispered. "The duke's daughter, that little brat."

"Such a snob, thinks she's better than all of us. As if she has room to talk!"

"She talks awfully big for a _lesser_ noble."

"And then she gets huffy and stuck-up if you tell her off. Ugh, just don't bother with her."

She was used to all these japes by now, knew perfectly well how other children felt about her. She knew it was her own fault for snapping at Anabella constantly, or making fun of Roderick's stutter, or refusing to let Sheila play with her dolls. Her mother had warned her she wouldn't earn any friends by being so spoiled.

_It's their own fault! Who wants a friend who stutters or wears such ugly dresses or wants to get her dirty fingerprints on their dolls anyway?_ But word got out quickly, and whenever she tried to make friends with the other children they ignored her. _Is there a bug in here? Speak up, we can't hear you! It's no one, let's go._ Fighting back by chasing them with her parasol only made things worse, and after a while she gave up. She learned to hide her tears from her mother, who would only say _I told you so_ and every day she would sit quietly with a book, pretending not to hear the children laughing and playing in the gardens.

-x-

"Ladies and gentlemen, we announce the arrival of Prince Chrom and Princess Lissa!" Maribelle looked up from her book only long enough to see a young man escorting a boy with short blue hair and a little girl with pigtails and a rather silly-looking hat into the courtyard. The young man was said to be barely older than the Exalt, but his serious face made him seem like a grown-up already. She had to admit she was happy to finally see the prince and princess in person; with their parents dead and their sister working so hard they never got to go out in public much. So it was nice to have faces to go with the names, even if the boy was a bit plain and the girl's hat wasn't something any princess should wear.

With her curiousity satisfied, she tried to go back to her book only for someone to tap her on the shoulder. She turned around, prepared to snap at them only to find herself staring into the bright, smiling face of Princess Lissa.

"Oh! Hello, your highness...it's nice to meet you," she said politely. "Um...did you need something from me?"

"Why are you all alone?" the princess asked, tucking a bit of stray hair back under her silly hat. "It's such a nice day out, you want to pick some apples?" Maribelle blinked.

"Eh...?"

"Apples! We can go to the orchard by the castle," the princess said, and Maribelle wondered if she'd fallen asleep and started dreaming. No one ever asked her to do things with them, and the other children were staring.

"Apples!" Sheila whispered. "A princess doesn't pick apples, that's for servants!"

"And she's asking _Mari Mari Quite Contrary_ to play with her! Someone should stop her!" Roderick added. Sure enough, Lissa walked away and Maribelle knew she was waking up from the dream. She didn't bother to pick up her book this time.

Less than a minute later, though, Lissa was back by her side. Roderick was nowhere to be seen and Sheila was hanging her head sadly.

"Your highness?"

"They won't be mean to you anymore, Mari! Come on, let's get out of here while Frederick's busy chasing Chrom," the girl said, taking her hand and helping her up. Maribelle's heart beat faster, she _had_ to be dreaming now.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Lissa led her through a door Maribelle never knew was there, and they stepped out into the fresh spring air. Suddenly the sun felt a lot warmer. "Hey, Mari?"

"Maribelle. But...you can call me Mari, if you wish," Maribelle stammered.

"It's okay! Maribelle sounds pretty anyway. And you call me Lissa, okay?" The princess smiled. "Maribelle?"

"Y-yes?"

"Let's be best friends."

" _Me?_ But you're the _princess,_ and I'm-"

"A nice girl who shouldn't be all alone anymore!" Lissa said stubbornly, squeezing her hand. "You're my best friend and no one's allowed to say bad things about you ever again!" Maribelle wanted to cry, no one ever stuck up for her like this. Especially no one so important.

_Best friends._

She threw her arms around Lissa and hugged her, hard. Lissa hugged back, and the sun seemed to shine more brightly for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
